Men aged over 50 are less likely to understand the symptoms of dangerous diseases than women, a new study revealed
Men aged over 50 are less likely to understand the symptoms of dangerous diseases than women, a new study revealed. According to a survey by Saga, a company focused on that age group, 55 percent of men said that they were aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer, compared with 72 percent of women, the BBC reported.
More than 11,000 UK men and women were asked about their knowledge of diseases and what makes them go to their GP.
Men whose partners or children put pressure on them to get a check-up were more likely to see a doctor.
From a survey of 11,729 men and women aged 50 and over, 41 percent of men surveyed said that they were unaware of the symptoms of prostate cancer.
Men were also less likely than women to know the symptoms of lung cancer, skin cancer, arthritis and dementia, while 82 percent of women surveyed said they knew the symptoms of breast cancer.
When asked how they knew about the signs of different diseases, government health campaigns were cited as the main way of learning about symptoms, particularly those of cancers.
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The survey found that men were most likely to go and see their GP when they found blood in their urine (82 percent) or in their stool (78 percent) and when they felt severe pain (74 percent). These were all important triggers for women to see their doctor too.
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If men over 50 needed encouragement to see a medical professional, they were more likely than women to go for a check-up when faced with pressure from their partner or children.
Source-ANI